Step Zero: Love Game
by C-Nuggets N.L
Summary: Annabeth as Cinderella, Percy as the Prince. Same old; same old. But there's a twist? What are the gods up to? Just what kind of game are they playing?  Annabeth and Percy ran away? What's Aphrodite up to? Where will they go? Prequel of Town Half-Blood.
1. Chapter 1: Annabeth's Hope

**Chapter One**

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful girl named Annabeth Chase. She had blond curly hair and fairly tanned skin. What made her look different were her eyes. They were intense startling gray instead of pretty and gleaming light blue. Her clothes weren't very fancy. She just wore an orange T-shirt and a pair of jeans, along with a necklace that had her father's collage ring on it. Annabeth had her hair tied as a ponytail as usual. That way, she could do her work without her hair in the way.

What work, you ask? She was always locked inside the house, stuck doing all the lame chores her stepmother had given her. Her father died years ago after marrying the witch. Her _real_ mother died before her father did, right after giving birth to her. The three people she currently lived with were her stepmother and stepbrothers, Matthew and Bobby. Annabeth was left with them at the age of three. Her father used to be almost too busy for her. That was the reason why he remarried.

Annabeth was always threatened to do all the work her stepmother and stepbrothers told her to do. They were always so bossy and lazy, and let's not forgot pure _evilness_. They just downright mean.

All Annabeth wished for was to get out from her horrid life she currently has. She wants to have fun for once in her life. She wanted to hang out with friends like normal people do. She doesn't have a single friend at all. She hates living with such mean people. She distastes them. They were the reason why she couldn't live a normal life. All Annabeth wanted was to go out on an adventure. She wants to meet new people, and maybe, just maybe, she wanted to fall in love. She wants to understand what love _feels_ like.

She's fifteen now, almost sixteen, and she felt like there was no hope for her now. She felt like she'd be stuck as a slave, serving her so-called "family" for the rest of her miserable life.

**Annabeth's POV**

My stepmother demanded me to wash the floors with a stupid tiny _toothbrush_. That's right, you heard me. I had to clean the floors with a freaking _toothbrush_. Did I mention that it was _my _toothbrush? I protested that using a toothbrush to wash the floor isn't going to help clean it any faster, but my stepmother didn't listen to me. She was all "clean this, clean that" and "do this, do that". She didn't even let me eat breakfast this morning, and interrupted my reading time for a freaking toothbrush!

"Hey, _Annie_," my younger brother, Matt called out. He knows I hate being called that.

"What, Matthew?" I growled.

"Check this out!" Bobby laughed.

The twins were running around the house with muddy boots, leaving muddy footprints all over the floors I was about to finish with. My left eye twitched. I was furious.

"Bobby! Matthew!" I shouted.

"Yeah, Sis?" Matt teased.

"You can't hurt us or else we'll tell Mom," says Bobby.

"Take off your boots," I tried to say calmly, trying my very best to not rip their heads off.

"Why? We want to keep them on," says Matt.

"I'm washing the floor. You're making it all dirty again," I explained, as if it was obvious, which of course, it is.

"Fine, then. We'll just tell Mom," Bobby sneered.

The twins kicked off their boots and ran up the stairs to find my stepmother. I sighed. My life wasn't getting any easier. You know what? It was never easy. They're such stupid, evil people. I don't even consider them "family".

"ANNABETH!" my stepmother shouted. She stormed down the shiny white marble staircase. "Did you abuse your own brother!"

"No," I answered honestly and half-heartedly.

"After you get these floors cleaned, I want you to wash the dishes and do the laundry, understood?" she ordered.

"Whatever," I mumbled.

Matthew and Bobby stood behind their mother, smirking at me. The three of the marched back up the stairs as my stepmother cooed at them. Disgusting.

I continued to scrub the floor again, dying of complete boredom. I got to this stain on the ground that just wouldn't come off, so I tried brushing it fiercely. Yeah, I broke the toothbrush. Isn't that wonderful? My day keeps getting better and better, doesn't it? I screamed in frustration. At least I've got another.

I was about to get up and head over to the washroom to pick up another toothbrush until I heard the doorbell ring.

"GET THE DOOR, ANNIE!" Matthew shouted.

"YEAH, ANNIE!" Bobby joined in.

I headed over to the door and opened it. Outside stood a man with brown hair and eyes, wearing a bored expression on his face. He wore a fancy black suit and a brown strap bag filled with letters.

"Messenger Hermes," I curtseyed.

"Yeah, yeah," the man waved, trying to get this over with. "Here's your mail."

He handed me a shady green letter with the word, "Chase" written in fancy writing. I thanked Hermes for the letter and he left. I closed the door and opened the letter to see what it read.

"Congratulations! You've been invited to Prince Perseus' sixteenth birthday party!" it read.

My eyes lit up. I was invited to a party! I could make friends! I could finally be normal for once in my life! Maybe, just maybe there's hope for me after all. Maybe hope has been there all this time, just waiting for the right time to jump out. Maybe this invitation is my first step to happiness. Maybe I'll be happy.


	2. Chapter 2: Percy Wonders

**Chapter Two**

Percy was the Prince of this little kingdom called, Atlantis. It was named Atlantis because it was named after the underwater city. Percy was just a boy. He was a boy at the age of fifteen. He was turning sixteen by the next week.

Now, Percy's this guy who many girls would find "hot" or "cute". He's got raven jet black hair and sea green eyes. And yes, he's got built muscles, but not those scary macho like kind. He _always _has to wear clothes fit for a prince. That means he's got to wear uncomfortable suits and what not. Girls swoon over him like he's a magnet of some sort. He _never_ gets any personal space. And for that, he hates it.

Percy's father died a long time ago. At least, that's what he was told. His mom always said that his dad was very handsome and lots of men were jealous of him, so many people tried to murder him. He heard that one of the people who tried to murder him was Gabe Ugliano. He was this ugly dude who liked his mom and was jealous of her husband. She had told him that his father's death wasn't natural, meaning it was a murder. Percy couldn't help but think that maybe this Gabe person killed him. Because his father died, he never got to meet him.

Percy is a prince. No, he cannot go outside and make friends. No he cannot play soccer like normal boys. No he's not allowed to choose what he wants to do in life. He is destined to be king. His mom wants him to _marry_. He's only fifteen for crying out loud! That was why his mom made the messenger, Hermes, to send out letters to everyone in the kingdom. Now, there are two reasons for this. The first reason was because he has no friends to invite to his party. The second reason was so that Percy can pick out a wife. He doesn't want a wife! He wants a _life_.

But his kingdom needs a king. They need a ruler. Everyone's depending on him. Trust me, with everyone depending on him for their future and what not, that is _not_ comforting at ALL. What did Percy do to get all this torture? Once he becomes king, he has to carry everyone's problems on his shoulders. Who would want that? Definitely not Percy.

What does Percy want, you ask? He wants to be normal. He wants to live a normal life, with normal friends, and go to school like a normal kid. Not that he likes education, but he can make friends that way, right? Not just stuck in some silly palace. All Percy wanted was a normal life. Is it possible for him to get that? Is it possible for him to… fall in love? _Real _love? Not some sort of forced marriage?

**Percy's POV**

Here I was, sitting at the boring old dining table having a talk about "marriage" with my mom.

"I'm fifteen, Mom," I repeat again, for the _eleventh_ time.

"Yes, yes, but I want grandchildren! And don't forget about the kingdom! The kingdom needs a king, and the king needs a wife, doesn't he?" she says enthusiastically.

"Mom, I'm _fifteen_," I moaned _again_. See how annoying this is?

"But, Percy! Don't you want to be king? Isn't it every boy's dream?" she asked, dreamily.

_No_, I thought to myself. _I want to be NORMAL. _That was what I wanted to say. But I can't. She's my mom and I can't let her down.

"What about when I'm twenty or something?" I suggested.

"But Percy! You can't do that! The citizens of Atlantis have been waiting for about sixteen years now for a king!" Mom complained.

Don't get me wrong. I love my mom and all, but she can be a little pushy.

"I'm not ready yet, Mom," I told her, stuffing a piece of steak into my mouth.

My mom sighed. "Sit straight, Percy. You're going to be king. You have to get some manners."

"What if I don't want to be king?" I snapped, standing up and pounding my fists onto the table. So far so good on the 'not letting your mom down' part.

Mom looked surprised by my reaction. "But Percy—," she started.

"Mom, please," I said, trying to calm down. "I'm going to my room."

I excused myself and walked up the super long and feet-aching staircase, locking myself in my room. It's so fancy. My room, I mean. It's _too_ fancy. It's too fancy for my taste. The second I closed the door, there was a knock.

I opened the door to find a guy in shining armour. "Sir, I am ordered to accompany you so that you won't get hurt."

I groaned. No surprise there. No personal space. There's always at least a body guard with me. It's irritating. It ticks me off.

"Whatever, I'm going to sleep. Just don't bother me," I grumbled.

I plopped down to my bed, feeling much more relaxed. The next second, I fell asleep.

My dream went like this:

* * *

There was a house. A _huge_ house. It had pretty flowers decorated everywhere. It looked pretty, but it felt kind of… I don't know, strange? Cold? There wasn't much sunlight where this house was. It was depressing just looking at it.

I saw a man arrive at the house. It was Hermes. He was fumbling with the mail him his bag, picking out a letter labelled, "Chase" on it. Hermes walked up to the door and rang the bell.

As soon as the bell rang, I heard shouting inside the house. The door opened abruptly. There stood a girl with blond wavy hair. I've got to say, she looks beautiful. The only thing different about her, separating her from other girls was her eyes. I've never seen gray eyes before. It's weird. Her face looks serious and determined. She was definitely not my type of girl. I like those kinds of girls that are more laid back.

"Messenger Hermes," she curtseyed with respect.

"Yeah, yeah," Hermes waved. "Here's your mail."

The girl took the letter and smiled thankfully at him before closing the door. The scene shifted from outside the house to the inside. She ripped open the letter and read it, smiling.

"ANNIE!" shouted a scary voice and made me flinch. It came from up the stairs.

"Yes, _Mother_?" she shouted back, saying the word 'mother' with hatred.

"WHO WAS IT?" her mom asked.

"It was the messenger, Hermes," she says. She wasn't screaming her lungs out like her mom. She had her voice controlled, but still loud enough to be heard from afar.

There was the sound of rushing footsteps. The silhouette of three people appeared. Two boys who look very much like twins and a woman who doesn't look like the blond girl at all. She doesn't look like her mom.

"What did he send us? What did he send us?" One boy asked eagerly.

The woman snatched the letter from the girl's hands and read it.

"It looks like we're invited to a party, boys," says the woman. "It's for Prince Perseus' sixteenth birthday."

"Cool!" The other boy said.

"Can we go, Mom?" says the other twin.

"Of course, Darlings," she said.

I realised that what she said wasn't directed to the blonde.

"Um, I'm invited too," the girl reminded.

"Nonsense, Annabeth. Get to work!" The woman demanded. She kind of freaked the life out of me, but the girl didn't look scared. Her face didn't show any emotion at all.

"But I'm invited," she says coolly.

"But you are not my daughter," the woman snarled.

I got confused after that. She's not her daughter?

"But I am your _step_daughter. I am still invited," Annabeth said. I'm assuming that was her name.

"You have to listen to Mom, _Annie_," says one of the boys. I seriously couldn't tell who was who.

Annabeth twitched at the nickname as if she hates it. "Why can't I go then? Give me a good reason."

"Because you still haven't finished up the chores I've assigned you. Plus, it's a formal party and you don't have a dress either," her stepmom says.

"But what if I got a dress and I've finished up with my chores?" Annabeth asked.

"Then you can go," The woman said.

Annabeth's eyes lit up. "Really?" she says, full of hope.

"Mom! What're you doing? We can't have her with us! She'll _embarrass_ us!" the twins protested.

To me, it seemed like the other way around.

"Yes, but she has to finish her work, first. _Never-ending _pile of work," her stepmother laughed wickedly.

Annabeth's smile quickly went back to a frown.

"Get to work, _Annie_," a boy sneered at her.

The girl slugged her way back to the ground and kneeled down beside a bucket of soapy water.

"Here," says the other boy. He threw a toothbrush at her. "Finish cleaning up the floor already! How slow are you? It's almost noon and you still haven't finished!"

The twins laughed and their mother walked both of them back up the stairs. Annabeth sighed and started to brush the tiled floor with the toothbrush. I took a good look around the house. It had mudded footprints everywhere. Judging by the size of the prints, I'm guessing that her twin brothers did this. I felt sorry for her. I wanted to do something, but I couldn't move.

* * *

I woke from my strange dream and found myself sweating. I looked over at the clock and it was already seven in the morning. I slipped out of bed thinking of my dream. What a strange dream it was. I kept pondering on it, wondering if it was actually real. If it was, I'd want to meet this Annabeth. She seems like an interesting person to be around with. I wonder if she'll show up at my sixteenth party. I wonder if I'll be able to meet her. I wonder if I could be her friend.

**Please Review! I want to know what you guys think. Flames allowed! I want to improve on my writing skills! :D**


	3. Chapter 3: What the Hades?

**Chapter Three**

Today's August eighteenth, Prince Perseus' Birthday. Bobby, Matthew and their mom was already ready for the party. Bobby and Matthew were dressed in tux and Annabeth's stepmother was in a fancy pink dress.

Annabeth was still down on her knees, still scrubbing the floor she had just finished with yesterday. Her stepbrothers wanted to aggravate her more, so the two of them had ran around the house with muddy shoes again. Annabeth couldn't help but feel disappointed and sad. She felt anger bubbling inside her, but she decided on locking it inside instead of letting it out. There was no use for her being angry anyways. It's not like she'll be allowed to go to the party if she yells at them.

She looked away from them. She didn't want to admit it, but she wanted to just burst into tears. She wanted to go to that party. She wanted to be _free_. Free from all the trouble. Free from her past. She wanted to be free from everything.

On the other hand, Percy was about to explode. He couldn't take it. He was feeling claustrophobic. His ADHD was acting up and he wanted to get out of the stuffy and crowded room before he dies. So many people had come over early for his birthday party. Most of them were girls. They were all clinging on to him. Percy hated it. He needs air!

Before he knew it, someone dropped a glass of punch juice and everyone turned their attention from him to the sound of broken glass. Percy used this chance to slip away from the crowd. He disappeared to his large silent and empty garden so that nobody would find him.

**Annabeth's POV**

The three of them left and I felt like I was about to cry. Why couldn't they just treat me fairly? I hate it. I didn't cry though. I'm still strong. My fatal flaw is hubris, and I don't plan to cry in front of anybody, or even myself.

All of a sudden, the stench of perfume filled my nose.

"Oh dear, you need your prince charming to save you from this horrid place!" a female's voice said dramatically.

I turned around and found a beautiful lady in a red dress and shiny black hair. She had makeup on, such as light pink blush and red hot lipstick smeared on her thick lips. She stared at me with her kaleidoscope eyes. They were strangely changing its colour by the second. From brown to blue, then blue to green.

"Who are you?" I managed to ask.

"I'm Aphrodite of course! The goddess of love and beauty!" she says as if it was obvious.

"You're joking, right? Gods don't exist."

"Pish Posh! Your mother is a goddess! She's the goddess of war strategies, Athena. Pah! I can't believe she hasn't claimed such a beautiful young girl like you yet," the lady says.

"Wait… what? My mom?" I questioned.

"Yes, your mom. She's been watching you from afar. She says she doesn't want to claim you just yet. She said something about attracting monsters more. But that doesn't matter!" Aphrodite says enthusiastically.

"To me it does!" I protested.

"Now, back to business," she says, ignoring me.

"Gods are real?" I asked, still stunned by it. Was my mother really a goddess all along?

"Yes, Sweety. Now, we need to get you off to the party!" Aphrodite squealed. "It's another sappy love story!"

"I don't want a sappy love story," I commented.

Naturally, she continued to ignore me. How kind of her.

"Let's see… We need to get you a dress. Now, what colour do you like, Dear?" she asked me.

"I don't have a favourite colour," I replied.

"What? How dull of you! You're just like your mother! Everyone needs a favourite colour, just like how everyone needs a good social life, you know? Not just bossed around by your stepbrothers and stepmother. Now that's no way to live."

"Wait, if my Mom has been watching me, why didn't she help me? Why didn't she take care of me, or at least get rid of the evil people I currently live with?"

"It's forbidden for us gods to visit our children," she replied as if it was obvious. "Plus, they gave you a home and shelter. That's what you'll need, don't you?"

"That's true…" I thought out loud. "Does that mean… I'm a demigod?"

"That's right! You're a smart little one, aren't you? You've got ADHD because you've got to fight and dyslexia because your mind is hardwired to ancient Greek," she explained, as if it was no big deal.

I tried to consume all this information. For some reason, I found it easy to believe.

"Wait. What are you doing here for?" I blurted out.

"You need to go to the party! You want a normal life, don't you?"

"But I'm a demigod. Doesn't that just mean I'm not normal at all? That I'll never be normal?"

"Yes, but you can always try. Athena has been hiding your scent from monsters, so that's why they haven't reached you yet. Now come on! All this explaining is boring! Let's have fun picking out a dress for you, hm? Oh! How about a green dress? It'll match the prince's eyes. It'll also look good on you too!"

The goddess of love and beauty continued to blabber about my outfit for the party. I found the conversation very lame. I wanted to know more about my mom. Is it possible for me to meet her? Was the reason why I loved to read and write, even with my dyslexia, because of my mom? Was it because she was the goddess of wisdom? What was she like? I don't think Aphrodite would like talking about my mom, since she seems to prefer talking about clothes.

"Alright then! I've decided on your outfit!" exclaimed Aphrodite.

She flicked her hand and my clothes turned from a T-shirt and jeans into a sea green strapless dress and two glass slippers. My hair was down instead of a ponytail. Aphrodite gave me a mirror, and thank the gods that I don't have any makeup on.

"Ooh! I want to make this a sad tragic story. How about my magic will end at the stroke of midnight, hm?" she suggested. With a flick of a finger, a watch appeared on my left wrist. "Use this to keep track of time, okay?"

"How is that tragic?" I wondered.

"Once you've find your love at first sight, you don't want to look like a girl in rags in front of him, do you?"

"Why not?" I shrugged.

That just made Aphrodite frown. She glowered at me. I made a metal note to self to not tick off any gods. I'm pretty sure they might blast you.

"Well then, Annabeth. You better get going," she says in a singsong voice.

Aphrodite snapped her fingers and the next thing I knew, I was in front of Queen Jackson's palace. It was amazing. There were beautiful flowers and fountains at their front yard. There were statues too. Greek Statues.

I groaned. "Stupid slippers. Why do you have to be so uncomfortable?"

I walked myself into the palace and I found it very… clustered. I didn't like it, since I've got ADHD and all. I've decided to stay outside instead, where there's fresh air and more space. I pushed through the crowd and went back outside again. I felt so happy that I could kiss the ground. I didn't dare do that though. It'd make me look stupid and I'm pretty sure it won't taste very good.

The sky was already pure black, but had stars and the moon lighting up the night, as well as some fireflies. I heard the sound of marching footsteps. I tiptoed over to see who it was.

"Check his room!" says a really buff looking guard.

"We did, sir. The prince wasn't there," says another one.

"What if he's been kidnapped?" says a knight with a shaggy beard.

"Then we'll get him back! He needs to be in the party! It's Queen's orders! Find him! Search the entire kingdom if you have to!" the first guard demanded.

"Sir, yes, sir!" everyone else saluted.

I tiptoed away, thinking of what had happened. Was Prince Perseus kidnapped? I snorted. It wasn't like I care. Princes were snobby, bossy, and mean and think the whole world revolves around him. Right? They get to have what they want, and with a snap of a finger, they'll get it.

I thought of walking around the castle, taking a good look around. It was pretty. I've never been anywhere but my house before. I continued to walk around the palace until I found a pool of water standing in my way. I scowled at the pond for stopping me from walking. But then I smiled. The view was actually pretty nice. There was the music of crickets singing and frogs croaking. The moon light was reflecting off of the pond water. There were lily pads floating on top of it, and around the pond were a few green leafy bushes. I decided to sit and relax a bit.

As I rested beside the pond, I felt like someone was watching me. It was a little uncomfortable. I looked down at the pond and saw a silhouette of a lily pad moving towards me. What the Hades?

**Oooooh! Guess what's gonna happen next, hmmm? This is fun. :D**

**You know what? I have this feeling that this story's missing something. Hm... What do you guys think?**

**Like it? Hate it? Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4:Eyes

**Chapter Four**

**Percy's POV**

Alright. All I've got to do is keep quiet. The "I-think-I'm-super-tough" guards still think I'm missing. I need to find a place to hide. They're going to find me anytime soon. I don't want to go to my stupid birthday party! It's no fun, but Mom wants me to be there. That's why I'm hiding. Who likes being suffocated by screaming girls? Not me.

I took a quick glance around and spotted a bush not so far away. _Great, I'll just hide there_, I thought to myself. I tiptoed over to the leafy bush and hid behind it. I sighed. _Now all I've got to do is hope that they won't find me_.

I stayed there for gods know how long. I mean "god", not "gods", right? Yeah, it was just a little slip of the tongue. I could tell you that I stayed long enough for me to want to fall asleep. The moment I was about to doze off, a frog croaked at me and it startled me, causing me to stumble over a pebble. I stumbled over a freaking pebble, lost my footing, and fell into a pond. I was soaking wet. The sound of the splashing sound caused the guards to look over my direction.

"Stupid piece of rock. I'll get back at you one day," I growled at it.

The knights started to march over and I needed to hide quickly, so I took a deep breath and plunged as deep as possible under the waters. I couldn't hear anything the guards were saying down here, but boy was I glad that I learned how to swim when I was younger. I could hold my breath for about eight minutes. Impressive, huh? If you don't think so, shut up. I haven't swum since I was like seven, okay?

The shadows above me started to move away and I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I waited for another couple minutes just in case, and I went back up for air. I gulped down a good amount of oxygen until I froze where I was. There was a person sitting by the pond. It was a girl.

She didn't seem to notice me since I was behind a bush of cattails. I wanted to take a closer look at her for some reason, but I didn't want to get caught. I could hide under some water lilies and then stop by the bush of cattails closer to her. Yeah, that would work. I searched around for some water lilies and found one floating not so far away from where I was. I dove back underwater and swam over to it. I rose up from the water with the lily pad on top of my head. I was only above water so that I could see her, making sure that she didn't notice me. I swam a bit closer to the cattail bush, but stopped my tracks when she detected me. Holy Zeus. Zeus? Ugnh, something's up with my head lately.

**Annabeth's POV**

"Who's there?" I demanded.

"Awgh! Gods!" shouted a boy. The voice came from under the lily pad.

"Who's there?" I repeated.

The guy's head surfaced from underwater with a water lily resting on his head. He gave me a sheepish smile. I couldn't get a good look at him since it was really dark at the time of the night. He swam over to me and crawled out of the pond.

"Um, sorry," he said, dropping his head down with embarrassment.

Since he was up close now, I could see him blush. He had messy raven hair, but not like the lazy-I-don't-want-to-comb-my-hair kind of messy. It's more like a natural kind of messy. Yeah, you get the point. I'm not using very good vocabulary, am I? His clothes were all wet and he looked um… attractive. I blame Aphrodite. Don't tell her I said that.

_I heard you!_ Aphrodite whispered in my head in a singsong voice. I flinched. Gods could read minds too?

"Um, hi," the guy said, making me snap out of some sort of trace.

"Hi," I said back. "What were you doing in the pond?"

"Oh, uh… No reason?" he says, sounding unsure.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, _everyone_ likes drowning," I said sarcastically.

"I was just taking a swim," he said, trying to sound innocent.

"Uh-huh. Sure you were," I laughed. I laughed? I laughed for the first time in a long time. I actually laughed. Why did I laugh? What was so funny? I need to get my head fixed.

"Why aren't you at the party?" he wondered.

"I've got ADHD. I kind of got claustrophobic in there. I just needed some air. You?"

"Same here, actually," he said, surprised.

"Really? It's crowded in there, isn't it?"

"Sure is. I've also got dyslexia. My mom's usually like, 'read a book! You need to be smart!'" he laughed.

I laughed along with him. "I've actually got dyslexia too. But I still read. It's a bit hard though."

The black-haired boy looked impressed. "That's quite a surprise. I've never met anyone with ADHD and dyslexia before. We have some similarities," he smiled.

"Yeah… I guess we do," I smiled back. I couldn't help but think I've made my first friend.

I looked up at him and peered into his eyes. It was weird. Like the pond, his eyes reflected off from the moon, causing it to glow. His eyes were sea green. I've never seen green eyes before. But then again, I've never left home before either. We don't get many visitors. I wonder why. Note my sarcasm. Wait. Isn't my dress the same colour as his eyes? Whoa. Didn't Aphrodite say that the prince has the same eye colour as my dress? Wasn't the prince missing? Was he…Perseus? Aphrodite did mention something about a sappy love story and a prince. Would I fall for him? Would I fall for those green eyes?

**Percy's POV**

At first, I didn't know who this girl was. From far away, I could see her wavy blond hair shining in the moonlight. I thought she was just some random girl sitting by the pond. As I came closer to her, I realized she wore a sea green dress, and it matched my eyes. I thought she was another Prince Perseus fan girl. I was about to freak out, but I didn't. I noticed her eyes. They were piercing and startling gray. She looked at me as if she was trying to figure out who I was. I could practically see the gears turning in her head. Now where have I seen gray eyes before?

Annabeth.

Could she be Annabeth Chase? She looks like her.

Could she be my very first friend? It seems like it.

Could she be the only person in the world who could understand me? I think so.

Would those gray eyes be by my side forever? I hope so.

* * *

**Sorry! It's so short Dx Only 1363 words including this tiny part. Am I updating too fast? **

**I get bored, plus there's no school today. School tomorrow... I hope I don't get homework. I want to keep writing :D**

**And I figured out what I was missing. Humor! But don't worry~ I'll try my best to make my readers LOL in the next chapter. ... Maybe. :D**

**Please Review!**

**More Reviews, the faster I'll update! I might write more too ;D**


	5. Chapter 5: Proposing

**Chapter Five**

**Annabeth's POV**

As soon as I realized who the boy was, I stood straight up and curtseyed.

"Um, you're Highness. I- I didn't realize it was you," I stuttered, trying not to meet his eyes. Ugh! How could you not realize it was him! Stupid, Annabeth! How could you!

When Prince Perseus didn't reply, she looked back at him. The glow in his eyes seemed to have vanished. The smile on his face disappeared. The expression on his face looked disappointed.

"Um, you're Highness?" I squeaked, hoping I didn't do anything wrong.

"No," he said, shaking his head. No? What did he mean by 'no'? I stared at him with a blank face. The prince sighed loudly. "I thought you'd be different," I heard him whisper.

"Uh, different? If you're going to say something, can't you make sure I understand what you're talking about first?" I questioned. Oh, way to go Annabeth. What a nice way to treat the prince. "Er, I mean, you're Highness," I quickly covered. "Yeah…"

The glow in his eyes appeared again and he laughed. "Please, just call me Percy, alright?" he asked.

"Um, okay…Percy," I stammered.

He laughed again. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by his laugh. It sounded so cheerful and happy. I liked it.

"When I meant by 'just call me Percy', I meant just treat me like any normal person. There's no need to be nervous," he said.

"Normal? But don't you like being a Prince?" I asked.

To my surprise, Percy shook his head. "It's stressing. I'm not allowed to do anything I want to do. I have to preform my duties instead of playing basketball like everyone else. Hades, I don't even have any friends."

"Did you just say 'Hades'?" I asked, pretty surprised.

Is it possible that he could be a demigod too? I mean, he's got ADHD and dyslexia. He's also got a missing parent. Is it possible that…he's a demigod? A half-blood? It's a very high chance he could be one.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. I keep saying stuff like that for some reason. I'm uh, 'palace' schooled. I have a teacher who teaches me Greek Mythology. My mom's obsessed with it. It's why there's a bunch of Greek statues of gods out front. I actually like Greek mythology as well. It's kind of cool," Percy explained.

Alright, now I'm one-hundred percent sure he's a demigod. I just don't think he knows it yet. I wonder… who's his godly parent?

"So you want me to treat you like a normal person, right?" I asked.

Percy smiled up at me. "Can you?"

"Yes, and thank the gods because I really can't stand having to give respect for someone who's older than me or just has a higher title," I sighed, feeling relaxed.

"So you're not going to give any respect for me?"

"You have to earn it," I smirked. "The name's Annabeth by the way. Annabeth Chase." I stuck out my hand and he took it. We shook hands, but he didn't let go of mine. I felt heat creep up to my face, and I felt a little dizzy. What was this feeling? Oh my gods. Am I blushing? I never blushed before in my life! Why now? This is so embarrassing. Why am I even embarrassed? I quickly turned my head away so that Percy wouldn't notice it.

"So, tell me about yourself," says Percy.

"Well, I live with my stepmother and stepbrothers," I said.

"Were they mean to you?" Percy guessed.

"How'd you know?" I blurted out without thinking. Why am I not thinking? I'm always thinking, aren't I? Something's wrong with me.

"I had this… dream," he said, rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand. I waited for him to continue. "Uh, I saw you in that dream. Hermes was sending you an invitation letter for my birthday party. I also saw how your stepmother and stepbrothers treated you. It was cruel of them to make you wash the floor with a toothbrush."

"A dream? About…me?" Why is my heart pounding? Why does my face feel so hot? SNAP OUT OF IT, ANNABETH! Aphrodite! Stop playing with me! I'm not some doll for you to play with!

Wait why am I thinking about him dreaming of me? Shouldn't I be thinking of why he was able to dream of what had happened? It was all true. How was he able to dream of it? Is it because he's a demigod? And Hermes was a god, wasn't he? The god of messengers? What was he doing down with the mortals? He dreamt of me? Oh, there I go again.

"Yeah, so what happened to your Dad and your real mom?" Percy wondered.

My cheeks didn't feel that hot anymore and I was able to focus again. "My dad…he died a long time ago," my voice croaked. "Um, my mom…my dad said that my mom died from giving birth to me." I couldn't tell him that my mom was a goddess. I didn't exactly lie to him either. Why can't Aphrodite tell me more about my mom though?

"Oh, uh, s-sorry. I wasn't—I didn't—," Percy started.

"It's fine," I said. "And I never went to school. I was always under house arrest, you could call it. My stepmom kept me in the house so that I could do her filthy work."

"That doesn't sound fun at all," Percy commented.

"No, it doesn't. I was never able to leave the house, other than tending the gardens. I've always dreamed to be normal, you know? To just live a normal life."

Percy grinned at what I had said. "Then it sounds like we're trying to reach for the same goal."

We both looked down at our intertwined hands, and then looked back up to each other's eyes. My entire face felt hot. I'm blushing again, aren't I? I saw that Percy was looking flustered too. I wanted to lean in, just a tiny bit, but before I could, Percy looked away. He removed his hand and ran his fingers through his soft black hair.

_Stop staring, Annabeth! This is so unlike you!_ I scolded myself.

"Um, uh, sorry about that," Percy stuttered.

"That's fine…" I faltered.

We sat there for a few more minutes, facing away from each other.

_Such an awkward moment_, says a voice. It wasn't my voice, but it was a familiar voice.

_Get out of my head, Aphrodite_, I hissed.

_Come on, Annie! Make a move on him! Don't you want to kiss him? Hm? Isn't it tempting?_ Aphrodite asked.

Great. Thanks a lot, Aphrodite. Now I'm thinking about his lips. I think she cursed me.

_At least break the silence!_ Aphrodite shouted.

"Um, so why were you in the pond?" I asked, trying to pry the answer out of him.

"Oh, I was hiding from some guards," Percy replied coolly.

"In the pond?" I questioned, pretty amused where this was going.

"Uh, kind of?" he says.

"What do you mean by 'kind of'?" I continued.

"Um, I was actually hiding behind that bush," Percy said pointing to a green and leafy looking bush. "Then there was this frog. It kind of…scared me."

From that point, I started laughing. A prince? Scared of a frog? It had to be hilarious!

Percy rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment. "Then I tripped over a pebble and fell into the pond. The guards heard me, so they were coming over. Then I decided to hide in the pond and after a few minutes or so, I went back up for air. After that, I saw you. You know what happened next."

Call me crazy, but I found that funny, okay? I couldn't stop laughing. I was rolling around the grass, clutching onto my stomach. It took me a couple more minutes for me to calm down.

"I seriously never thought there would be such a clumsy prince!" I said between laughs. "I've always thought that a prince would be so selfish and greedy. Not someone as nice as you are."

Percy smiled at the compliment. He should be too. I don't give away compliments easily like breathing air.

"Yeah, well, I'm not exactly a kingly type of figure. My mom wants me to be king soon. She forcing me to pick out a wife," Percy sighed.

"You don't want to be king?" I asked cautiously. He seems to be fragile with this kind of conversation.

"No way. Being a king sounds way to boring. I want a little adventure in my life."

"I know what you mean," I sighed too, thinking about my 'family'. I have to return to them soon, and there's no way I want to do that.

**Percy's POV**

"You don't want to go back, do you?" I guessed. By looking at the expression on her face, it says it all.

"Yeah. It's just...after all this fun I've had today; I don't want to go back through all the work again. I want to feel free and happy like I am now."

"I can relate," I sighed. Then a light bulb went off inside my head. I'm supposed to get married right? What if I marry Annabeth? Then she doesn't have to deal with her stepbrothers and stepmother. Annabeth's the reason why I'm having the most normal time of my life. I might still have to be king, but if Annabeth's there, then I'll be happy, just like I am now, right? Okay, so now all I've got to do is propose. Wait, what if she says no? What if she rejects me? Okay, I'm just going to say it. I'll never know if I don't, right? Alright, here I go… "Hey, Annabeth?"

"Yeah?" she asks, looking up at the full moon.

"I, um…uh…" Way to go Percy! That's the best way to impress a girl!

"Percy?" Annabeth asks, snapping her head back to me.

"Yeah? What?" I wondered.

"I thought of an idea. So that there's no need for you to be king, and I don't have to be with my _family _anymore," she says thoughtfully.

Did she just think of what I thought of? But then she said that I don't need to be king. That doesn't sound so bad.

"What's your idea?" I grinned.

I noticed Annabeth quickly blushed when I smiled, but it disappeared just as fast. "Let's run away," she answered.

"What?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Let's run away. We'll run away from our problems, from _everything._ We won't have to face our problems. What's better than that? We'll run far away from this kingdom and sneak out of here. We can live like normal people, and no one has to know who we are," Annabeth explained.

A smile slowly formed on my face again. I liked her idea. Even if it meant leaving my mom, being with Annabeth makes me happier for some reason. So I went down on one knee and took her hand. Annabeth looked surprised and her eyes widened. Her face was red, completely flustered and confused. I smirked at her.

"Annabeth Chase, will you run away with me?" I proposed.

Even though Annabeth's face was as red as a tomato, she broke into a large grin. She said only one word that made my day. "Yes."

* * *

**Please Review! More reviews the faster I'll update! (Even though I update like at least once a day...)**

**I'm actually deciding on ending this fan fiction and starting a sequel. You know, after they run away? Yeah.**

**So I'm gonna like, write one more chapter, I think.**

**Then it's HELLO to sequel!**

**So yeah.**

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	6. Chapter 6: Goodbyes

**Chapter Six – ALMOST Final Chapter**

**Atlantis —Mortal World**

After Percy's and Annabeth's little chat, they snuck back into the palace and into Percy's room since he needed to change out of his wet clothes. The two of them brought what they needed, such as money, water, a gas lamp, extra candles and some matches, extra clothing, and some food.

Annabeth slipped out of her painful glass slippers and threw them in the trash can. I must tell you: Aphrodite was furious. Her throwing away such beautiful slippers? That wasn't acceptable to her, but she decided to let it go since this could be the best love story yet. Annabeth realized that the clock was about to strike midnight, so she excused herself to the washroom, telling Percy that she needed to change. The magic wore off and she came out in her orange T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Percy changed into a casual light blue T-shirt, jeans, and a baseball cap to help cover his face. That way, nobody would be able to tell that he was the prince. It was Annabeth's idea.

The guards were assigned to find the prince as soon as possible, and were still searching for the prince. The queen, Sally Jackson, was terribly worried about her son. She was pacing around the throne room, thinking of where Percy might've gone to. (The party was in the dining room.) She wouldn't believe that he'd run away, or has been kidnapped. Besides, Percy was strong enough to handle anybody. But what if it was a monster? Wasn't being a king what Percy wanted? That wasn't what he had said before during dinner last week. What if he did run away? He'd at least leave a note.

She was going out of her mind until a bright blue flash of light appeared behind her. She turned around and found a man with jet black hair and sea green eyes like Percy. He wore Bermuda shorts and a nice Bahama shirt.

"Poseidon," Sally gasped.

The god smiled warmly at her. "It's been a while hasn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah, it has," the queen answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I came here to talk about Percy," Poseidon replied.

As soon as those words left Poseidon's mouth, Sally realized why she was so worried again, and began to panic. "Where is he? Do you know?" she burst out.

"Don't worry, he's safe," Poseidon grumbled.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sally asked him.

"Percy's leaving the kingdom with, ah, a little company…" he faltered.

"Er, who exactly?" Sally couldn't help wonder.

"A demigod. She just figured out who she is, so she doesn't know much about us gods. But don't worry, I'll watch over him," he assured her. "He's in his room right now. You might want to say goodbye to him first."

Sally nodded and closed her eyes when Poseidon vanished. She rushed up the staircase and busted open the door to Percy's room. Inside she spotted a blond girl, reading a book on Percy's bed.

**Annabeth's POV**

As soon as I was done with my shower, I was started to read a book on Greek mythology since Percy's got a lot of them here, and I wanted to know more about the gods. Percy had just gone into the washroom for a while to take his shower. To my surprise, the door burst open with a lady in a fancy dress panting heavily. I can't believe it. Percy forgot to lock the door?

"Um, hi?" I said. I didn't notice who she was until I saw the crown on her head. I tensed and curtseyed to show the queen some respect. "Er, you're Majesty."

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"Um, Annabeth," I answered. For some reason, I didn't feel as nervous as I was when I first realized that Percy was the prince.

"Why are you in my son's room?" she asked.

"I'm a friend, I think…" I faltered. I _am _his friend now, right?

"_Mom_?" said a voice behind me. I turned around to see Percy standing at the washroom door with a towel on his head. He wore jeans, but… he was shirtless. No, no, no, no, _no_. Oh gods, why does my face feel hot again? "What are you, uh, doing here?" Percy wondered.

"Are you leaving?" Percy's mom asked sternly.

"Um, uh…no?" Percy stammered.

"Percy, I can tell you're lying," his mom says.

"Um, yes?" Percy hoped for his mom to not punish him.

The queen sighed and walked over to give Percy a long life-squeezing hug. Then she turned to face me. She didn't have an angry face on, but a sad expression instead. "Take good care him, okay?" she says to me. Then she turned back over to Percy. "Why didn't you tell me you had a girlfriend?"

Percy's expression: Priceless. Mine must've been the same.

"Mom! She's not my girlfriend!" Percy protested.

"What? Really? I thought she was. My mistake," Ms. Jackson shrugged. "She looks very pretty too. Do you like her?"

Percy's expression: So red that he looks like he's about to explode. Mine must've been the same. Does he like me? Urk! I shouldn't be thinking of that! Bad Annabeth! Stop looking at his chest no matter how tempting it may be… I can't seem to stop…

"What! Mom! Seriously?" Percy shouted.

His mom shrugged again. "I don't know. I think Annabeth here likes you."

I flinched and flipped my head away from Percy so that he wouldn't she my red face. "I―I don't like him that way!" I shouted, shaking my head furiously.

At the corner of my eye, I could tell that Percy looked a bit disappointed. So did he like me? Why do I keep thinking this? What the Hades did Aphrodite do to me? My mother must be so angry with her.

"Sure, sure," the queen said, waving off what I had commented. "So, who's your godly parent, hm?"

"H-How did you―Oh right. Percy's one too?" I asked.

Ms. Jackson nodded her head. "Poseidon's boy," she says.

My eyes widened. "One of the big threes?" I gasped, but she just nodded in reply as if it was no big deal.

"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" Percy wondered, probably feeling pretty left out.

_BAM_. Realization came to me. Wasn't Athena and Poseidon eternal rivals?

_Yes, yes, YES!_ says a voice. Aphrodite. _What a MAGNIFICENT love story! It's like Romeo and Juliet all over again!_ She sighed.

Aphrodite planned this, didn't she? Either way, I can't be friends with Percy, can I? My mom wouldn't like it, would she?

"Annabeth?" Queen Jackson wondered, snapping me back to the real world. "Is something wrong, Sweetie?"

"Uh, no, nothing. I was just…thinking…" I said.

"So who's your godly parent? Mother or father?" she asks.

"Mother," I replied.

"What are you two talking about?" Percy repeated, slipping on his T-shirt. Thank the gods.

"Aw, does Percy feel excluded?" I teased, also trying to avoid the queen's question. Kind of rude though, don't you think?

"No, I'm just…curious," he says.

"Annabeth?" Percy's mom asked again.

"Um, Athena," I mumbled, but she seemed to have heard me loud and clear.

"Oh…" was all she had to say. "Well then…where are you two going off to?"

"Not sure," Percy shrugged. He looked over at me.

"I was thinking of running into the forests, and maybe set up a couple of tents to camp for a few nights until we find a small town or something," I said. "The forests near here are known for many wild fruits and berries, so we could survive on those…"

"Why do you want to run away? Won't your dad be worried?" she asked.

I sighed, and then I summarized to her what had happened in the past fifteen years, and Percy explained how much he wants to be normal.

"Oh…" was her best reply. "Well then, are you two prepared?"

We nodded our heads.

"Off you go! I'll cancel the search party for you, Percy. I'll also make something up for your disappearance. Remember, you two are always welcome to come back, okay? Oh, and Annabeth? Watch Percy for me. He can be a bit of a handful…"

"What! I am not!" Percy protested.

"Oh, and Annabeth, on the way to where ever you're going, make sure you explain to him about the demigods and everything. I know you don't know much, but tell him all you know, alright?" says the queen, ignoring Percy's little comment.

"Yes, you're Majesty," I curtseyed.

The queens laughed and shook her head. "Please, you can call me Sally. It's a pleasure to meet you, Annabeth."

A grin formed on both my face, and Percy's. The both of us thanked her and she handed us some coins.

"Golden drachmas," she explained. "You use them to send Iris Messages to contact on another. I can't exactly explain everything to you about this, but I'm sure you'll find someone who can on your little adventure."

I smiled and uh, Sally led us to the horse's stable. She gave us only _one _horse because she said that if we took out two, people might become suspicious. She had a point, but that would mean I had to ride with Percy. You catch my drift, right? Daughter of Athena and Son of Poseidon? Not so good.

Percy was looking at the horse weirdly, as if it can talk. Maybe it can, though. To Percy, I mean. Since he _is_ the son of Poseidon.

We hopped onto our caramel furred horse. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around Percy's waist. Ms. Jackson waved us goodbye as the horse we rod on galloped towards the dark forest.

_Oh, this will be so much fun!_ Aphrodite giggled in my mind. Will it?

* * *

**Hey, hey, hey!**

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**That's right! You heard me! ONE MORE FANTASTICALLY, AMAZINGLY, DAZZLING, AWESOME CHAPTER ! (before the sequel)**

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**And remember everyone! Stay tuned for the next wonderful seventh chapter!**

**And since you've been all good girls and boys (Ho Ho Ho), I'm gonna give you a little hint on what it's going to be about!**

**Setting: Olympus**

**What's Happening?: Arguing Gods.**

**Now how fun is that?**

**Please Review! I'm am SO dead serious, no matter how cheerfully happy I sound writing this! (Ho Ho Ho. Freaking Christmas is OVER you damn kiddies! :D Now why in the world am I trying to be Santa Claus? I'm not fat. But I do love cookies. Especially chocolate cookies. Mmmm...) REVIEW! :D You know you want to~ It's tempting, isn't it? Hmm?**


	7. Chapter 7: Olympus and Pothena?

**DISCLAIMER: ****** I totally forgot to say this, but, I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS. I am 100% female, meaning I am not Rick Riordan. Got that? Good. :D

**Chapter Seven**

**Olympus**

-sigh-

Who doesn't love Olympus? Isn't it just the most _amazing _thing in the entire world? Isn't it always _so_ peachy sunshine? Isn't it the _most_ calm, relaxing, and peaceful place ever?

Three words, my friends: You're dead wrong.

Now here's a little description of how Olympus is _really _like. Yes, it may have some great buildings, but Hades, it is _never _calm. And when I mean _never_, I really meant _never_. You see, the gods are always arguing with each other. And since the little meeting with Percy and Annabeth? Let's just say it got worse.

It all started with Aphrodite. You must be thinking, _Aw hell, Aphrodite! I would _NEVER _have guessed that!_ Yes my friends, it was Aphrodite indeed. Get ready to shoot yourselves. She's got something nasty up her sleeves.

Anyways, Aphrodite was sitting on her throne, looking at a hologram of Percy and Annabeth, cooing and awing at them. She was wearing a pink pretty dress with lots of makeup and white bracelets. She held a glittery pink notebook in her hands, recording down all the little moments they've had so far.

"Aphrodite?" A voice called. "What are you looking at?"

Aphrodite turned around to find her sister shooting daggers at her. "Oh, Athena! What a pleasant surprise!"

"Don't you dare 'pleasant surprise' me. Are you playing with my daughter? With that Poseidon boy!" Athena raised her voice.

"Did somebody call me?" says a deep voice.

"Poseidon," Athena growled under her breath.

"What, Athena? Scared of me?" Poseidon teased, snickering. He then noticed the hologram in front to Aphrodite. "What is that, Aphrodite?"

"Hm? Oh, that silly thing?" Aphrodite laughed as if it was no biggie. "Just, you know, looking over your children. Making sure they don't cause any trouble."

"You mean getting them _in_ trouble?" Athena corrected. "Get my daughter far away from that womanizer!"

"Excuse me?" Poseidon scoffed. "My son is _not _a womanizer!"

"Don't you see all the girls swooning over him at that party? Ugh! If he's not a womanizer, than I don't know what to call it!" Athena hissed.

"He only attracted all those ladies attention because he's a _prince_," the sea god shot back.

"Then why'd you grant that mortal her wish to become queen? If you didn't, that Sea Boy wouldn't be attracting anyone's attention!"

"Oh really?" Poseidon shrugged. "I only wanted the best for my son."

"Then why's your son agreeing to run away with my— is your son proposing to _my daughter?_" Athena screeched.

"Ooh!" Aphrodite squealed. "Percy asked Annabeth to run away with her! Isn't that _so_ romantic?"

"This is ridiculous! Percy would never fall in love with Feather Brain's child!" Poseidon boomed.

"Feather Brain? Is that all you've got, Barnacle Beard!" Athena insulted.

"Love is in the air!" Aphrodite sighed.

"If you _ever _make them love each other, I will curse you!" Athena threatened.

"Whoa, _THAT_'s your daughter?" Poseidon gaped. "No wonder Percy would run away with her."

"You are filthy and disgusting; you know that, Barnacle Beard?" Athena wrinkled her nose.

"Well, it's obvious that your daughter will fall for my handsome son," Poseidon observed.

"I know! Aren't they _so _cute!" Aphrodite sighed.

"Womanizer," Athena muttered. "Like father like son."

Unfortunately for Athena, Poseidon heard her. "Aren't you a woman?" he asked.

"Of course I am!" she says.

"Then aren't _you _womanized by me?" Poseidon smirked, striking a pose.

Athena blushed and turned away. "I'm a woman _and _a goddess. That's different," she countered.

"Sure, sure," Poseidon shrugged with that silly grin on his face in triumph.

Unfortunately for Athena, _again_, Aphrodite caught her blush and focus turned from Percy and Annabeth to Poseidon and Athena. Ooh, she's going to have a lot of fun with these four.

"Hey Athena?" Aphrodite called.

"What?" she hissed, the blush still on her face.

"What's your favourite colour?"

"Green, why?" Athena asked, then quickly figured out the answer and blushed into a deeper shade of red. Lucky for Athena, Poseidon's got a very oblivious mind. "Don't you dare, Aphrodite!"

The goddess of love giggled. "Aw, but the two of you look _so _cute! Like Annabeth and Percy!"

Poseidon still wasn't on the same page as the two goddesses. "What are we talking about?"

"Shut up, Poseidon! Stay out of it!" Athena snapped.

"Hey, hey!" says another voice. I'm telling you. That voice belonged to the most irritating god you could ever find on Olympus.

"What are you doing here Apollo?" Aphrodite asked curiously.

Apollo was holding a plate of beef balls and some sushi, eating them with chopsticks and was playing his mp3 player. "I just came back from visiting Japan," he says.

"Doesn't Poseidon and Athena look good together?" Aphrodite says out of the blue.

Right at that moment when Aphrodite just HAD to say that, Apollo had just stuffed a giant chunk of beef ball in his mouth. And yes, ladies and gentlemen, he choked on it. Apollo was coughing like mad, but was able to spit the beef ball out.

"POSEIDON AND ATHENA ARE _DATING_!" Apollo shrieked like a little girl.

"_**NEVER!**_" Athena and Poseidon thundered, faces as red as a tomato.

"Aw, Athy, you know it's bad to deny it!" Aphrodite sang.

"Shut up!" Athena shouted.

"I feel a haiku coming on!" Apollo blurted.

"Quiet, Apollo!" Poseidon boomed.

"Here it comes!" Apollo warned.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Athena demanded.

Too late. All Hades broke loose.

"_Sea God and Wisdom,_

_K – I –S – S – I – N – G, _

_Siting in a tree," Apollo bowed. _

Athena and Poseidon growled at him with red faces. From anger and embarrassment. Aphrodite just squealed with delight.

"That's so _cute!_" she smiled.

"Oh hey, is that Percy and Annabeth?" Apollo pointed at the forgotten hologram.

In the hologram, it showed Annabeth and Percy sneaking into his room.

"That boy of yours better not do _anything _with my daughter," Athena hissed at Poseidon, giving him her signature death glare.

"What does that mean?" Poseidon asked, not catching her drift.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself.

Poseidon groaned at the hologram as if he remembered he had to do something. "I'll be back."

He disappeared, vanishing into water vapour.

Athena cussed at Poseidon, even though he left. She stormed out the throne room, leaving Aphrodite and Apollo behind.

"How about another haiku?" Apollo suggested.

Aphrodite shoved her pink notebook into Apollo's mouth. "Ooh! Look at the time! I'm _so _late! See you later, Apollo!" she says and ran off.

There stood Apollo in the throne room, all alone. "Aright, then. More beef balls for me," he shrugged. Apollo stuffed another beef ball in his mouth, and right at that moment, Poseidon suddenly reappeared, surprising Apollo, and causing him to choke again. Poseidon realized this and slapped him hard on the back, and Apollo spat it out.

"You really need stop choking," Poseidon chuckled. "Are those beef balls from your own cows?"

Ah, Apollo choked on another. This time, Poseidon punched his stomach, and his beef ball flew out of his mouth and across the room.

"I was joking!" Poseidon laughed loudly.

"Please don't make that joke," Apollo shuddered, clutching his stomach.

"Where'd Athena go?" Poseidon wondered.

"Why do you care?" Apollo grinned evilly.

Poseidon scowled at him and stuffed another beef ball down his throat. "I'm not helping you with that one," he grumbled. Poseidon snatched all of Apollo's sushi, which were cucumber by the way, and gobbled them down.

Poseidon vanished into thin air again, leaving Apollo lying on the ground, still trying to spit out that beef ball. Artemis happened to walk by and saw her brother coughing on the floor. She strode over to him and kicked his guts, and the beef ball spat right at Artemis face. Apollo coughed a couple times and took a few seconds to register what had happened.

"Poseidon stole my sushi!" he whined.

Artemis wiped off her brother's spit and bits of beef, sending him a death glare with steam coming out of her ears. If looks could kill, he'd be dead.

She smiled wickedly at him. "Do you like jackalopes?"

And with that, my friends, Artemis turned Apollo into a jackalope for a day.

You must be wondering, _what the Hades is Aphrodite planning_? Well, let's just say she's going to deal with the half-blood couple (maybe more) before the, ah, gods. -cough- don't want to mess with THEM... yet -cough- Why don't we stay tuned for another episode on Hephaestus Television, eh? We'll see who Percy and Annabeth are going to meet, and where they're going. Pray to the gods that they'll have a safe trip. Their adventure's about to start… Now.

* * *

**Hey, hey, hey!**

**Please Review! I want to know what all of you think! And to those people who HAS reviewed, give yourselves a pat on the back! This Fan fiction is now COMPLETE!**

**Thank you, my wonderful Fans, for being my motivation!**

**And for the beef balls part of the story- well, my friend asked for it. :D**

**For those of you who don't know what beef balls are, ask an Asian. They should know. If not, shame on you! D:**

**The title of the sequel? Town Half Blood!**

**Don't miss it!**

**Please Review! :D**

**PS. I went on Google Images to check out what jackalopes are, and they're like bunny rabbits with antlers. It's weird.**


	8. Chapter 8: Camping Trip

**Hey, Readers! Look for my SEQUEL of An Extraordinary Cinderella Story called, Town Half Blood. :D  
And it's against the guidelines for writing an author's note, so… I'm going make this a quick chapter.**

**

* * *

(The REAL) Last Chapter:**

They entered the green forest together on their horse as soon as Annabeth explained to Percy about the gods. He kept freaking out until she told him his dad was Poseidon. The rumors about it were true. There were berries and fruits – everything. It was a beautiful sight. Percy and Annabeth decided to set up their tents. Percy and Annabeth have been getting along…_too _well. They're different people, but they're both still sarcastic and stubborn. Opposites attract, am I right? And of course, Annabeth is concerned about this.

**Annabeth's POV**

I can't be friends with him. I absolutely can't. I mean, I am daughter of Athena for crying out loud! I can't be friends with the son of _Poseidon_. Let alone being attracted to him. I mean, he's hot, it's the truth, but I can't _like _him. So I _don't _like him. I'm determined to try and not be friends with him. Or at least not fall for him.

I'm kidding myself. Percy's like the _ideal _boyfriend type. He's nice, kind, humorous, but I don't like him that way. Because I can't. So I don't like him.

_That's not how it works,_ whispered a voice. I shuddered. I hate that lady. Stop invading my mind! Ever heard of _privacy_, Aphrodite?

"Are you okay, Annabeth?" Percy asked me as we took out our tents.

"Oh, just peachy," I said, voice oozing with sarcasm.

"You can tell me anything," Percy insisted. "Unless you don't want to share it. You can tell me whenever you're ready," he added quickly.

See what I mean by _ideal _boyfriend? Stop caring about me for gods sake!

"No, I'm perfectly fine," I replied. Percy frowned.

"You don't have to lie, Annabeth. If don't want to share, its fine."

I feel like pulling my hair out. I mean, how hard is to hate someone? _Incredibly _easy. Hating is easier than loving. But when it comes to Percy? _Incredibly _hard. I mean, liking him as a friend. Not like, _liking _him _that _way. I meant like a friend. You know what? Forget about all that "ideal boyfriend" talk.

"I don't want to talk about it," I sighed.

Percy smiled. "See? That wasn't so hard," he teased, causing me to smile.

Making me smile when I'm upset. Another reason why it's so hard to hate him. And I'm supposed to be upset about not being able to hate him! Ugh! This is so confusing!

I picked up a pinecone and threw it at his head. I hope this helps him hate me. He scowled. Yes! Then it turned into a mischievous grin. No! Wait, what's he thinking?

"Pinecone fight!" he declared.

It's so hard to get him angry! What's with him? He's pelting me with pinecones. Did I mention how immature Percy can be? He's so childish, but that was makes him, I mean, makes other people find him cute.

"Oh you are so going to get it!" I challenged. I threw a pinecone at his head.

"Ow!" he yelped. "Hey! Revenge!"

Did I also mention that he has bad aim?

"You missed!" I announced. "Annabeth Chase wins! Again!"

"Again? What do you mean by again?" Percy pouted.

"Remember, Brainless? We were racing to this spot? Not so long ago?"

"Okay, that was unfair. You kicked me off and I had to run by foot while you used the horse," he countered.

"It still counts."

"No it doesn't," Percy frowned.

"_Yes_, it does."

"_No_, it doesn't."

"Percy, just admit it."

"Why should I?"

"So you're saying that it _did_ count," I smiled in triumph.

"What?" he asked. "No! No I'm not!"

"Uh, uh, uh," I shook my index finger. "You admitted it."

"No I didn't!"

"Oh please, of course you did."

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh."

"Nope."

"Yep."

"No."

"Yes."

"You're aggravating."

"Ooh, that's a big word," I teased.

"Why thank you. I guess you've rubbed off on me," he went along.

I laughed. "I guess I did."

"So…should we set up the tent?"

"We should," I agreed.

But, before we could our horse went crazy.

**Percy's POV**

Our horse named Caramel, obvious because of her fur, was going out of control. I mean, I can talk to horses, I've figure that out since I've been riding on the horse with Annabeth to the forest. And she's gone out of control, galloping in circles. So I tried to talk to it in my mind.

_Caramel! What's wrong?_

No response. You want to know why? She ran away. My horse ran away. What the Hades? When'd that happen?

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" I shouted.

Annabeth rolled her eyes as she picked up our stuff. "Are we going after Caramel or what?"

"Right," I said, taking the bags from Annabeth.

"I can hold it," she said.

"Nope, I'll hold it," I protested.

"_I'll _hold it."

"Hey, I'm trying to be a gentleman over here!"

"Do I care?"

"You should be. Aren't you proud?"

"Of what?"

"Me being such a lovely gentleman?"

"You've always been like that."

"So?"

"GET THE HORSE!"

"Oh! The horse! I got it!"

"Give me the bags."

"No," I pouted.

"You're being stubborn," Annabeth growled.

"So are you."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Give me the bags and get that horse already!"

"No way! I'm holding the bags!"

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"The horse is gone."

"Oh…" I muttered a few silent moments later. "Should we go look for her?"

"No duh, Captain Obvious."

"You're welcome, Lieutenant Sarcasm."

"Touché," she smirked. "Now let's go!"

* * *

Okay, truth be told, we never found the horse. We just got stuck somewhere deep in the forest with a whole bunch of fruits and berries Annabeth claims to be poisonous. Okay, this place is getting scary. Why's it so dark?

_Daddy, please save me from this horrid place. I think Annabeth's angry at me_, I silently prayed.

"Percy," Annabeth growled, fuming from anger. "You got us lost!"

"Me? Why are you blaming me?"

"Well, if you hadn't started the argument for carrying the bags and just got the horse, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

"Hey! You're the one who started it! Why didn't you just let _me _take the bags?"

"Because if you carried the bags, how are you supposed to get the horse?"

"Uh…"

"Exactly!"

"I'm sorry!" I tried to apologize.

"Some normal life," I heard her mutter.

"Hey, we'll find somewhere to stay," I reassured her.

"Oh really, Poseidon Boy?"

"Hey, Poseidon's cool!"

"Athena's better!"

"Poseidon!"

"Athena!"

"If you're so smart, why don't _you _find us a town to stay in?"

"Does it look like there's a town around here? We're lost! I don't even know where we are!"

"At least we have food, okay?" I sighed. It's hard to get mad with someone like Annabeth. Plus, if she gets angry with you, you'll be dead meat. "Let's just put up the tent and figure out what we could do."

"Die?" Annabeth suggested.

"Something optimistic?" I hoped.

"Are there anything 'optimistic' to think about if we're lost?"

"Um, someone could find us?"

"And who would be here in the middle of the night?"

"No idea?"

"Ugh, this is going to be a long camping trip," Annabeth groaned.

I have to agree. I sure seems like it.

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**Pfft, really short. D:  
But yeah, read the SEQUEL! It's not over! Read Town Half-Blood~  
I want more reviews. :D  
SO please, please review!**

**Btw, I didn't bother to edit this, so yeah...  
Anyways, reviews reviews reviews!  
Tell me what you think or give me any suggestions ;D **


	9. Chapter 9: Little Game

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Well, not the idea of the story and all…I own the books of PJO in my house. I have all five and the first book of The Heroes of Olympus. :3 I'm so awesome. **

**Okay, okay, so this is another chapter because the ending of the previous one wasn't so great. On to Olympus! Back to the gods! Oh yeah~**

**I SWEAR ON THE STYX THAT THIS (is most likely) THE LAST CHAPTER!**** (Chapter Nine)**

**Up on Olympus**

At the throne room, Athena was – that's right – thinking. Poseidon was eating some cucumber sushi he had gotten Hermes to help steal for him from Apollo. Apollo, being Mr. Ol' Oblivious, was sleeping as he was listening to his iPod. Hermes was busy on his cellphone as usual. (George was begging for rats while Martha was shutting him up.) Zeus was putting up with Hera's lecturing and Dionysus was drinking diet coke. Demeter was eating a bowl of cereal. Mm…cereal. Okay, getting off topic. (By the way, it was Corn Pops cereal.) Hades, of course, was absent being exiled from Olympus (except for the winter solstice). Hephaestus was having an ugly glaring contest with Ares. Artemis was sharpening her arrows while Aphrodite was pretending to look at her reflection in the mirror, when really; she was looking over Percy and Annabeth through it.

Aphrodite kept watching their little lover's quarrel and smiling at what a wonderful couple they'd be. She snuck glances at Poseidon and Athena, thinking of what an interesting couple they'd be too.

Now, Aphrodite wasn't the only one stealing glances at Poseidon. Athena was too. What was she thinking, you ask? She was thinking of all the reasons why she hated Poseidon, trying to prove to herself that she will only and forever think that Poseidon is the most terrible god in the entire universe. But whenever she took a quick look at Poseidon munching on some of those sushi, she couldn't help but lose focus on what she was doing. Then she'd snap out of it and rethink of the reasons all over again, repeating to herself that she will never forgive Poseidon for lowering the water supply in Athens and raping Medusa in her scared temple, her being a _virgin _goddess. She can't forgive Poseidon no matter what.

And Poseidon? He was thinking the same thing. All the reasons why he hates Athena as he ate sushi. He kept stealing glances at Athena as well. One time, Athena caught Poseidon looking at her. They both blushed, but pretended that their faces were red from anger.

The two of them pondered on why Aphrodite would ask Apollo if they looked good together. They were rivals after all, no? And Poseidon was married. There's no way they'd fall for each other. But they both didn't have the guts to swear on the Styx for it. They both didn't swear on the Styx that they'd never fall for each other. Maybe it's because somewhere deep inside them, they wanted to be together. But that small part of them was buried so deep, it would take a long while for two stubborn god and goddess to realize it.

**Athena's POV**

The throne room was silent except for the bickering of Father and Hera. As well as Hermes' cellphone, Apollo's snoring, and Poseidon and Demeter's munching.

Another reason why I hate Poseidon: Poseidon chews very loudly on food. Even when he's eating sushi.

I coughed for attention, so that everyone in this room would stop and listen. "Father?" I asked Zeus.

"Yes, Athena?" Zeus wondered.

"Is there a reason why you called us all here today? Everyone is already here," I told him.

Zeus looked around and frowned, shaking his head. "We have a visitor. He's not here yet."

"I am now," says a deep voice.

"What's up, Bro?" Poseidon grinned at Hades.

Hades frowned at him. "Shut up, Poseidon. I'm not in the mood."

"Sit on the guest chair please," Zeus said, gesturing to the tiny uncomfortable looking chair in the corner of the room, right beside Hestia's hearth. Cozy. It must be nice sitting next to fire. Like, really, incredibly close.

Hade grunted, but took a seat anyways, setting his pants on fire. He didn't mind though. But the souls woven into his clothes didn't appreciate it.

"Now we start," Zeus says. "Aphrodite?"

Aphrodite looked up from her mirror and blinked at Zeus, probably wondering what kind of conversation we were having. Maybe she was too caught up with her looks that she had no idea what was going on around her. Well, she isn't exactly the brightest goddess around…

"You were the one that called up this meeting?" Zeus started. Aphrodite called for this meeting? Oh, gods. This isn't good. It's probably something about love or beauty. Or Annabeth and Barnacle Beard's boy. Poseidon does have a nice beard… I mean, in a bad way. It's ugly. So ugly it's worse than Hephaestus' face. That's right. It's _that _ugly.

"Oh right!" Aphrodite says cheerfully! "I was thinking of have a 'best couple of the summer' contest!"

I frowned. "Best couple?"

"That's right! The parents of the two winning demigods get all the participants in the throne room to say how awesome they are every time they see them!" Aphrodite says.

And the prize was tempting. All the gods were pondering on this little competition. Every single god and goddess here is so big-headed and stubborn. Well, except for me. I naturally am marvelous; everyone else just doesn't see it. It's be nice if they'd – especially Barnacle Beard – said I was awesome for a change.

I sure hope this isn't about my daughter and Poseidon's son. If it's like that, then he won't be able to say how spectacular I am.

"But," Aphrodite continued. "That's only part one of this little game," she evilly grinned at me. And I knew that this "little game" wasn't going to be fun at all. Not one tiny bit.

"So? What's the other part?" Aphrodite's husband asked.

"Ooh! But that's a secret!" she sang.

Even worse. I hate not knowing! I may have to bribe her…

"And bribing won't work on me!" she added. "Because what I have in store for you is much more worth it!"

Dang it.

"Who's judging?" Demeter asked.

"Well, Artemis is not participating because she doesn't have any children and her hunters can't date…so would you like to be one of our judges, Artemis?" asked the love goddess.

"Why not?" Artemis agreed.

"Oh, and I'll have Hestia as well," Aphrodite continued.

Hestia in the corner by the hearth and Hades with his flaming pants nodded in agreement.

"And I'll be the last one. My children won't participate in this competition. So if one of your children and one of my daughters are a couple, they won't count," Aphrodite concluded.

Some of the Olympians groaned and grunted.

"Then what about the prize? One day? That won't be worth it. There's two parts, isn't there? A prize like that doesn't sound so great anymore," Poseidon snorted.

"Looks like somebody found their temporary brain," I smirked at him.

He gave me his award-winning grin. "Yes I have," he said.

I felt heat rise up in my face, and quickly turned away so that I wouldn't look him straight in the eyes. I could feel Zeus' eyes burn holes at the back of my head. He's probably suspicious on why my face was colouring. But it was from anger. Definitely anger. Not at his stupid smile.

I turned to Aphrodite once the heat quickly subsided. "So?" I asked.

"Hm…" she smirked. "Well, that prize is only for step one. But… for an extra, I could also give a hint for the winners in step two," she offered. "The awards for step two will be announced later."

The gods and goddess nodded their heads, warming up to the idea.

"Great! And by the end of the summer, we'll see who's the best demigod couple in Town Half-Blood and the winning gods or goddesses," Aphrodite smiled devilishly.

And that winning goddess would definitely be me.

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**Okay. There. Awesome Cliffhanger.  
Don't forget to read the sequel!  
THE FREAKING SEQUEL!**

**Please go check my profile to find it ;D  
It's called Step One: Town Half-Blood.  
Isn't it just marvelous? That's right, I changed the title :D**

**I just added the "Step One" part.  
I'm so smart :D**

**Please review! :D **


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